Are you ready to break ground on a new project or take the next step towards a career in ecological design? This course builds on a foundational understanding of permaculture and agroecology to equip participants with the hands-on skills to make design decisions and bring new projects to life. This course will be most relevant to those interested in ecology-first, food focused landscaping on 1+ acres, but the design principles can be translated to smaller properties and ornamental landscapes as well.
Course Overview: Ecological design is the art of aligning landscape observation skills, ecological knowledge, clear goals, and realistic management strategies to make design decisions. This course will walk participants through the complete ecological design process in order to create a master plan for an emerging community farm project, providing a practical framework for participants to take home and apply on their own land or other projects.
Pre-Requisites (highly recommended): Regenerative Homesteading Intensive, Permaculture Design Course, Introduction to Permaculture, or Other Equivalent Experience
Key Skills
- Base Mapping: Learning how to create accurate, scaled basemaps as a starting point for design
- Goal Articulation: Setting clear goals and management strategies to shape design decisions
- Site Assessment: Learning skills for observing and mapping key landscape features such as landform, water, vegetation, wildlife, soils, access pathways, and zones of use to inform design
- Conceptual Design: Using key take aways from the site assessment process to make decisions about where to place elements and systems to best achieve the goals
- Project Phasing: Making a phased implementation plan and prioritizing where to begin
- Basic Digital Design Tools: Basic strategies for using free online tools to assist with base mapping, marking layers, and digital design (geared towards personal rather than professional use)
Course Location
Address: 2221 N. 95th St, Boulder
We will be hosting this design intensive on the land of Kathleen and Caleigh Poeschl, a mother-daughter team that recently bought this 11-acre property to transform it into a regenerative farm and hub for artists in the community. They hope to raise alpacas for fiber, cultivate fruit and vegetables for community members and those in need, and create spaces for people to practice and teach various artistic endeavors.
Course Dates
- Virtual Session Thursday October 8th 5:30-6:30pm* (also recorded)
- Saturday October 17th 9am-5pm
- Saturday October 24th 9am-5pm*
- Saturday October 31st 9am-5pm
- Rain Date: November 7th 9am-5pm
There will be a 1-hour lunch break each course day.
*Please expect 1-2 hours of homework after starred sessions.
Course Cost: $500 through Sept 1st $600 after Sept 1st
Max Participants: 8
Scholarship applications are due September 1st. Preference for scholarship funding is given to historically underserved farmers and land stewards.
This course can be combined with the Regenerative Homesteading Intensive and participation in 8+ volunteer days at the Niwot Homestead to earn a Permaculture Design Certification through PINA.
Lead Instructor: Amy Scanes-Wolfe
Amy is the founder and executive director of the Niwot Homestead and Bindweed School of Agroecology. She has 13 years of experience with regenerative farming and ecological landscaping at varied scales. Amy has taught 8 complete permaculture design courses, facilitated over 500 hours of hands-on farm volunteer days and projects, and currently also teaches permaculture as an adjunct faculty member at Naropa University.